ORU Academics & Eli Center

The academic success of each student-athlete at Oral Roberts University carries great weight in measuring the success of ORU's athletic programs. To have success both on and off the playing arena, ORU student-athletes are encouraged to take advantage of all the resources offered by ORU's academic support services.

These services are run by Kyle Jones, Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Academics. Additional assistance is provided by Directors of Athletic Academics, Helen Erb and Whitney Cook, and a staff of academic mentors and tutors.

ORU is concerned with the full development of its student-athletes, and its academic support system is one of the many support programs that assists them.

The Athletic Academic Center begins work even before a student-athlete arrives on campus. All high school transcripts must be reviewed to ensure student-athletes meet ORU admission standards and NCAA requirements.

Once a student-athlete is on campus, ORU provides many services and opportunities for student-athletes to aide their academic progress.

In conjunction with ORU's Comprehensive Advisement Center, the Academic Center offers tutoring sessions on an individual and group basis.

The Athletic Academic Center is also responsible for helping monitor each student-athlete's progress toward a degree while maintaining athletic eligibility. The Athletic Academic Center does this through direct contact with university professors to track attendance and academic standings.

The Athletic Academic Center provides support in assisting student-athletes with their studies during road trips. Through the use of laptop computers, student-athletes can complete assignements and work on papers while travelling on the road.

The Athletic Academic Center also helps student-athletes coordinate class and practice schedules to best suit them in maintaining a healthy balance.

ELI CENTER
The ELI Center is the hub of academic services for student-athletes at Oral Roberts University. The ELI (Education, Learning, Integrity) Center provides both academic support and career advice. The ELI center also tracks each student-athlete's progress toward earning a degree from ORU. Each student-athlete is tracked to maintain their athletic eligibility by not only NCAA and Summit League requirements, but also by a higher academic standard set by ORU. The ELI Center features study and research aides to assist student-athletes with their academic progress.

Study Hall Hours
The ELI Center is open and staffed 55 hours per week. Student-athletes are required to check in and out to keep track of hours completed. Study hall hour requirements are determined by the student-athlete's academic standing and progress.

Tutor Program
A tutor program has been set up so all student-athletes have access to peer-tutors to assist them with studying and test preparation.

Computer Lab
The computer lab area provides student-athletes with personal computers for various uses. The computers are used for researching information, typing papers and working on projects through the computer network.

Group Study Rooms
Enclosed group study rooms provide student-athletes with places to work on group projects.

Individual Study Areas

Individual study areas are also available for student-athletes to study for tests and work on papers.

Academic Excellence
At Oral Roberts University, student-athletes are students first. In a survey of NCAA member schools released in August, 2001, ORU student-athletes ranked 5th nationally among Division I schools in graduation rate above the 1993-99 cohort.